COLUMBIA, S.C. — When the doors opened at 9:30 a.m., the crowd of international teachers hurried in. Madel Patal, who had been waiting since 5:30 a.m., went straight to the painting she had spotted through the glass doors hours before. Volunteers helped her claim it and later delivered it to her new apartment with her furniture.
“I never dreamed I would be able to own something like this,” she said. “Paintings in the Philippines are very expensive, and I could not bring any art with me. I will think of your kindness every time I look at it.”
Welcoming Richland School District Two’s International Teachers
Madel was one of 117 teachers welcomed at Richland Two’s fifth annual International Teacher Housewarming, where Shandon Baptist Church and the Columbia Metro Baptist Association joined with local churches to surround newcomers with care. Serve Tour volunteers came alongside as personal shoppers, loaders, and delivery drivers, helping teachers select furniture and making sure every item made it home.
Many of the teachers had only just arrived in Columbia, bringing little more than two suitcases, yet they left with beds, dishes, and reminders that they were not alone.
One teacher from Mexico had been sleeping on a camping mattress until the event provided him with a real bed. A family from the Philippines had landed at midnight and still showed up by 7:30 a.m. to join the line.
Allison Miller, who helped lead the event, said, “The day was full of hugs, tears, smiles, sighs of relief, and sincere gratitude. Today is just the beginning of ongoing relationships for the sake of the gospel.”
Churches Serving Side by Side
This was just one of 47 compassion projects powered by Serve Tour Columbia, a two-day outreach that brought together 1,008 volunteers from 80 churches across 14 states. The effort was hosted in partnership with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, the Columbia Metro and Lexington Baptist Associations, and Send Relief.
Through Serve Tour, churches partnered with schools, neighborhoods, and ministries across Columbia to refresh facilities, encourage families, and share the gospel. In total, 4,750 people were served, 830 gospel conversations took place, and 67 people gave their lives to Christ.
New Life in an Old Neighborhood
At Palmetto Life Church, a new congregation preparing to launch next month in Columbia’s oldest neighborhood, Serve Tour volunteers helped ready the building by planting a palmetto tree, preparing the children’s area, and reconfiguring rooms to be more welcoming.
“This neighborhood has been called Columbia’s front porch,” said Pastor Matthew Phillips. “It is the oldest neighborhood in the city, and while many are seeking new things through regentrification, what people truly need is new life. Palmetto Life Church exists to point people to the only one who can give that life, for Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.’”
Prayer in Unexpected Places
Serve Tour teams also joined local churches in hosting six neighborhood grill walks in the pouring rain, meeting families in communities where needs are great with a warm meal, prayer, and the hope of Christ.
At one grill walk, a grandmother shared that she had prayed the night before for someone to come and tell her and her grandson about Jesus. The very next day, volunteers knocked on her door, and both placed their trust in Christ. At another, a woman heard the gospel from volunteers and came to faith. Right away, she went to get her friend, brought her back to hear the gospel from the volunteers, and her friend also accepted Christ. In yet another neighborhood, a young man responded to the gospel after years of his parents praying for him. When he chose to give his life to Christ, his father, who is fighting cancer, was given the joy of leading him in prayer.
“I’ll be honest, when I first heard about grill walks, I thought it was a gimmick. It sounded like the most Southern Baptist gimmick ever,” said Jarrian “JayWill” Wilson, founding pastor of City of Refuge Church. “But doing one showed me. It showed me how hospitality really does open up doors for the gospel. Conversations we never could have had happened because of these burgers and us knocking on doors.”
In all, 58 individuals placed their trust in Christ through Serve Tour grill walks.
At a busy flea market, another Serve Tour project in partnership with Kittiwake Baptist Church set up a prayer station and distributed more than 250 New Testaments. Eight people accepted Christ before the team had to request more Bibles.
Reaching the Next Generation
College students were also reached in force. Serve Tour volunteers assisted Baptist Campus Ministries in moving 84 international students from 28 countries into University of South Carolina dorms, expanded the stage at the BCM building, painted the exterior, and served a shrimp boil to more than 250 students.
Shandon Baptist Church hosted a country-themed outreach party where hundreds of students connected with new friends and the local church. Even the USC mascot joined in. More than 30 international students attended, and over 80 percent returned the next day for a BCM event.
Steve Turner, Shandon’s college pastor, said, “Because of the connections made, we are now able to build relationships to share the gospel. It was a remarkable event that will have gospel impact all school year.”
Compassion All Across Columbia
The projects reached every corner of Columbia.
Seven schools were refreshed with new teacher lounges, landscaping, ga-ga ball pits, raised garden beds, and more. The principal at H.B. Rhame, a Title 1 school, celebrated as volunteers prayed over her. Hopkins Elementary held a ribbon cutting for their new lounge on Monday. One teacher said through tears, “No one has ever cared about us this much or our school.”
At the state psychiatric hospital for children and teens, volunteers painted walls from institutional brown to calming blue and encouraged staff. Two churches committed to continued ministry there.
Volunteers visited nursing homes, encouraging residents with prayers and blankets. One 8-year-old’s prayer with a senior adult brought tears to the room.
Families with special needs gathered for a field day hosted by Gateway Baptist, complete with carnival games, a dance party, lunch, and field events.
Four bivocational pastors were blessed with grants to support their families through gifts from the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
Church plants like Midtown Fellowship and Palmetto Life received renovations, landscaping, and playground updates.
Fuel for the Future
At the closing rally, volunteers and pastors rejoiced in all that God had made possible through Serve Tour. South Carolina Disaster Relief added to the celebration with a BBQ dinner that fed both body and soul.
Sammy Simmons, Send Relief’s National Project Director, reminded the crowd, “No act of love is insignificant. God uses every act of love done in Jesus’ name.”
The weekend was never just about two days of service. Serve Tour was designed to be a catalyst, planting seeds of compassion and gospel hope that will continue to grow.
Dr. Tony Wolfe, executive director-treasurer of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, thanked the many churches, associations, and partners who served together and challenged everyone to carry the momentum forward.
“This weekend was not the finish line,” said Dr. Wolfe. “It was the starting line. God gave us bold compassion to meet needs and share Christ, and that does not stop here.”
Send Relief, a collaborative ministry between the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board, is Southern Baptists’ global compassion ministry. Upcoming Serve Tour stops include Lima, Peru (Sept. 5–12) and Fort Collins, Colorado (Sept. 26–27) with eight more slated for 2026. For more information on future Serve Tour stops, visit servetour.org.
Published August 28, 2025